The basic concept of this deck is to get flyers out and pump them up. If that sounds familiar, it should since I built a similar Clear Skies- budget deck back in Origins standard. Anyway, with the reprinting of Favorable Winds I felt the need to hit the skies again.
Favorable Winds is what gives this deck it's power. It's what takes average cards and makes them broken. Adding 1 damage to all your creatures adds up pretty quickly. And pushing a 2\3 flying life link guy past Lightning Strike range is a pretty big deal.
Aerial Responder is just the 2\3 life linker I was talking about. All the keywords already make him a half way decent card- flying, life link, and vigilance is pretty good on one creature, but he's a little weak to the burn. With the Winds on 2 and him on 3, it'll take more than 1 burn spell to remove him.
Curator of Mysteries already passes the "vanilla test" with flying colors. A 4\4 flyer for 4 mana is awesome. Also, his scry power comes into play every now and then adds a little more value, but add the winds to him and he can end the game pretty quickly. I don't often cycle him, put you can if you need to.
Glyph Keeper - speaking of guys who can end a game in a hurry- this guy is a beast. I'm surprised he doesn't see more play, but it prob has to do with his low toughness. His ability to counter the first ability of spell that targets him seems to more than equal that out. It only makes sense that he has a place in the deck.
Siren Stormtamer this little guy does so much for the deck. Yes, he protects all your creatures, but he also protects you. The fact that he curves out really well with the Storm Fleet Aerialist is just gravy.
And speaking of, Storm Fleet Aerialist is a little unassuming to behold, but has a high upside in this deck. The winds put him out of Shock range when you can't raid him, but if you can, then the winds put him out of lightning strike range or Abrade range- and that's where we want to be. he also plays really nicely with....
Skyship Plunderer- I really like this guy. he's aggressive as a 2\1 flyer for 2, and his ability can add value in some areas. The Aerialist loves him after he raids, and he adds an energy counter to help out the Hubs. Also nice if you're playing against a -1 counters deck since you can increase their counters well. I'd like to find more targets for him, but I have been unsuccessful as of yet.
Aven Mindcensor is so very sneaky good. Flash him in and now your opponent can only Attune with the top 4 cards, or go ahead and pop that Evolving Wilds- good luck in those first 4 cards. You have him out we you Settle the Wreckage, it reduces the downside considerably. Here, exile those creatures.... now go search your library- oh no, I mean your top 4 cards for land.... sorry. Fail to find? Bummer? I played a game where my opponent used a Field of Ruin on my Glacial Fortress not realizing The mindcensor was out... It was like he cast Stone Rain on himself. Like I said, sneaky good.
Cast Out is probably the best removal spell in white. Since it answers anything, it seems an auto-include. Has the added bonus of cycling, which can trigger a Scry off the Curator.
Hieroglyphic Illumination gives us some much needed card draw. Instant speed is key since it allows you to hold up Settle the Wreckage, or the Mindcencor. Also had added bonus of triggering a scry from the Curator. Cycle it early in the game or play it late. Solid card here.
Settle the Wreckage is necessary removal. A one sided board wipe for 4 mana seems pretty good. Combo this with the mindcencor like mentioned earlier and it's almost not fair... almost.
The mana base includes Irrigated Farmland for fixing, cycling, and as both a plains and island for the checkland Glacial Fortress.
The Shefet Dunes can be used to pump the team top get those last few points of damage through.
The curve is very high at the 4 drop spot, but fear not! 10 of the 12 cards there cycle for 1 mana. So even if you've got a bunch of 4 drops in your opening hand, you can still alleviate some of that by cycling them away.
The deck plays pretty straight forward- play flyers and attack. The evasion is so good, and it's tough to play against. It also has enough synergies to add a slight level of complexity, but the deck isn't too hard to pilot. I'm still working on the sideboard, so we'll have to see what it needs in testing.
Any help is welcome
